Location

Malaysia: Kuala Terengganu

Program Summary

Join a small team living in our secluded jungle camp on Turtle Bay, Lang Tengah.

Experience rustic living whilst getting the opportunity to get up close with majestic sea turtles and help us save their eggs by relocating them to our private beach where we monitor them until they hatch.

We're looking for enthusiastic volunteers, who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, and who are excited at the prospect of living in the jungle alongside our friendly team with camp fires, bucket showers and beautiful seas.

You help us patrolling the beaches at night for turtles, and your reward is seeing them, collecting their eggs and watching the hatchlings race down to the sea. In the afternoons we will take you jungle trekking and snorkelling, as well as cliff jumping, volleyball and kayaking around the island.

If you're up for an adventure with a small, dedicated and adventure-hungry team of staff and volunteers, this is the project for you!

Program Highlights

1. Live in a rustic jungle camp on a private ...

Program Summary

Join a small team living in our secluded jungle camp on Turtle Bay, Lang Tengah.

Experience rustic living whilst getting the opportunity to get up close with majestic sea turtles and help us save their eggs by relocating them to our private beach where we monitor them until they hatch.

We're looking for enthusiastic volunteers, who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, and who are excited at the prospect of living in the jungle alongside our friendly team with camp fires, bucket showers and beautiful seas.

You help us patrolling the beaches at night for turtles, and your reward is seeing them, collecting their eggs and watching the hatchlings race down to the sea. In the afternoons we will take you jungle trekking and snorkelling, as well as cliff jumping, volleyball and kayaking around the island.

If you're up for an adventure with a small, dedicated and adventure-hungry team of staff and volunteers, this is the project for you!

Program Highlights

1. Live in a rustic jungle camp on a private bay

2. Play a major part in a small organisation, which is growing momentum every season but needs your help

10/ 10

Volunteer Experience

10

Program Administration

10

Living Situation

10

Community Impact

10

Health and Safety

10

Social Life

10

Amazing way to help make a difference

Submitted by
Cherynn -
| April 03, 2016

Honestly I find it a little hard to put my experience with LTTW into words, I can keep going on saying I had an amazing time but it won’t do it justice, because I have learnt and gained so much from it.

The island is just spectacular and beautiful, and the volunteer experience with LTTW is just as so. Nothing like a morning snorkel to be among inquisitive or shy marine creatures to start of your day! Or actually being woken up first by a loud morning call from a Tokay Gecko. Also relaxing by the rocks enjoying the cool breeze and sound of the waves breaking on the shore while watching the occasional fruit bat, and clouds go by at night during patrol intervals.

What is being done on LTTW is very special, yes you do learn much about turtles from the other experienced staffs and volunteers as well as from the activities on hand, but the volunteer experience is much more than patrolling beaches and monitoring turtle nests. It is also about appreciating life’s simple pleasures, basically enjoying being close to nature and the company of the people you meet along the way: fellow volunteers as well as friends you may make from around the island. All of us may come from different walks of life but got along most easily by sharing the same enthusiasm for turtles and a love for nature. Everyone works tirelessly to pitch in on chores and patrols whenever needed, making the most out of a day.

I cannot stress on how we have to protect what we have. The beauty on Turtle Bay would definitely be non-existential if it weren’t for the dedicated volunteers who make conscious effort on being eco-friendly and resourceful. Even if you may not have much experience on camp/ knowledge on turtles and wildlife like me, go with an open-mind, a willing heart and I guarantee you an experience to cherish for a lifetime.

Overall Rating

10/ 10

Volunteer Experience

10

Program Administration

10

Living Situation

8

Community Impact

10

Health and Safety

9

Social Life

10

Lang Tengah Turtle Watch has it all!

Submitted by
Hunter -
singapore | April 10, 2015

I personally volunteered to take a 1 week trip to Lang Tengah. Im not going to lie I started out more nervous than rabbit in a foxes den, knowing full well that i was going to be the youngest guy around. But from the moment I jumped of a boat into the crystal clear water of Turtle Bay those butterflies in my stomach dissipated into the calming breeze . I know now that 1 week was not enough.

The best place to start is the camp ground itself, which is not very prominent or visible from the soft sandy bay. It takes you entirely by surprise as the volunteers lead you into what looks like un-cut jungle.This did not dampen the tranquil atmosphere that hit me in the face as I walked into its center ... or was that a tree branch? The entire camp is so close to nature that you feel as though you could be living in a tree. It consists of a small cooking area, outdoor shower, well, sleeping hut (no walls), toilets and last but not least a fire pit (my personal favourite). The accommodation is simple yet makes for a very communal feel when you sleep under the same roof. I was not expecting a five star hotel at all, though I would chose this style of outdoors camping over any half rate hotel room, and thats because its not trying to be something it is not.

As a certified diver I can safely say that the snorkelling off the coastline is some of the best I have ever seen, time seems to fly when you are floating around with the marine life. One of my favourite experiences was duck diving under the surface to a small anemone and slowly waving my hand about. I was greeted by a family of small clown fish who came to swim between the gaps of my fingers, it was in that moment that I felt that little bit more in touch with the nature around me.

After one night you get used to the gentle sound of waves and nightlife of animals in the fallen leaves. Though what the real treasure of the night is are the stars that litter the sky. They make the night patrols on the beach that little bit more amazing. I am not one for the dark as it can scare me at times, but on Lang Tengah I felt more at home in the night than ever. Though without a doubt the best night I had was also my last due to May the turtle making an appearance. Sadly she did not lay a clutch while I was there, and spent an hour digging around and saying hello to some rocks, but she made the trip worth it anyway.

You can tell that the programmes manager, Raphe, has worked incredibly hard to make it what it is today, and it is nice to be able to share in that work doing what you can. Without a doubt I will be back hoping to gain as much from it as i did the first time... in body and soul ! Would also love to see some baby turtles off into the ocean. I highly recommend this small slice of paradise and recommend its inhabitants even more. If you feel like meeting some life long friends, getting a wicked tan and most of all care for the turtles and their eggs then I suggest spending nothing less than a week on Lang Tengah.

(P.S. Bring food to share, living on an island does deprive you of certain luxuries!)

For my birthday, I told my best friend that I wanted to do some volunteer work and she found this little gem. I was rather nervous to say the least. Never before have I done anything like this and did not know what to expect. Before I had the chance rethink my decision, the boat hit sand and out came this little group of people to greet us. After a quick tour of the camp, I was even more intimated. Here I was, a 19 year old city girl stuck in a camp with no running water, limited electricity and miserable internet connection. But through the calm and confident camp leaders around me, settling in was no issue. Everyone pitched in to keep the camp clean and everybody was included in daily activites. In my short week on the sland, I managed to swim with numerous sharks, snorkel in the most crystal blue waters and see some of the most amazing sights in Malaysia. I did all this with the amazing people I had met on the island and with the guidance of Raphe and Bill, the camp facilitators.
Not to mention, I got up close and personal with May, the most special turtle ever, who visited us twice during my stay.
Every day was different and exciting thanks to the camp leaders. They are the most lovely and genuine group of people with a great sense of humour that managed to make this bug-hating-city-dweller feel very at ease in the jungle. I cannot thank Raphe and Bill enough for being... genuinely awesome. Their calm and confident nature gave me the drive to do things I would have never considered otherwise, like swimming with a 2 meter shark for instance.
All in all, I have enjoyed my time there immensely and am already planning my next round at Lang Tengah! I took home many memories, new experiences and lots of sand. Thank you for letting me experience a part of this lovely gem.

For anyone out there who might be a little apprehensive, I urge you to come out of your comfort zone and give it a go. It will be absolutely worth it.

I was quite apprehensive before arriving on Lang Tengah in Summer 2014. The camp is set back from the beach in the jungle and very basic with a well from which to draw water and a gas cylinder used to cook on but wow did everything exceed expectations. There was always more than enough delicious food to go around and everyone took turns cooking up their own jungle speciality. At nights we rotated shifts looking for laying mothers patrolling hourly and star gazing/swimming in the warm phosphorescent waters otherwise. In the days there was always something new to find by jungle trekking or snorkelling or just simply relaxing in the shallows on Turtle Bay in between checking on the turtle nests to see how they were progressing. During the three weeks I was there I saw three mothers lay their nests. This was an utterly incredible experience, being able to witness such prehistoric creatures returning to the beach where they had been born 30 years later. Lang Tengah Turtle Watch is a unique project on which you gain not only first hand experience of an increasingly endangered species but also a chance to play a part in changing the future for this incredible animal. The people, turtles and island were all amazing and I can't recommend this project highly enough.

Overall Rating

10/ 10

Volunteer Experience

10

Program Administration

10

Living Situation

9

Community Impact

8

Health and Safety

9

Social Life

10

Time of my life...

Submitted by
Molly Manwill -
Lingfield University of Sussex| November 18, 2014

I spent 7 weeks on Lang Tengah over the Summer of 2014. I didn’t know what to expect, but whatever I was expecting was blown out of the water. My first night included a patrol that was filled with shooting stars, watching a storm over the mainland, bats, bioluminescence, sleeping on the beach and waking up to trek to and jump from Batu Kuching! A snapshot of days include jungle treks to amazing snorkelling spots followed by a pit stop at the resorts for refreshments, diving at the coral reef restoration project and making crafty things on camp; but whatever happens- everyday that comes along is different and is better than before. It’s a once in a life time opportunity when a turtle comes up and the feeling of saving the eggs from being taken to market is incredible-a feeling which is intensified when the babies hatch and you watch them scrabble to sea in a matter of minutes. I loved camp life which included bucket showers, jungle cooking, and fireflies at dinner! I instantly felt at home on the project and part of the team- a comment in which I heard numerous times from volunteers. Everybody that comes to the project brings something new and making life long friends (over hilarious evenings on camp) is inevitable. I recommend the project if you want to meet amazing people, see amazing things, do amazing things, make a real difference to the survival of sea turtle babies and have the most epic time of your life! The only down side is when you return you will miss falling asleep to the sound of crickets, the waves and being in paradise with incredible people. I cannot wait to go back home to Turtle Bay!

Program Duration

2-4 Weeks, 5-8 Weeks, 1-2 Weeks, 9-12 Weeks

Dates

March - October

Qualifications

Non Required

Languages

English

French

Cost in US$:

$240 / week; $650 / 4 weeks; $1,000 / 8 weeks

Cost Includes:

Excursions

Food

Housing

In-country orientation/Training

In-country staff support

Registration fees

Written materials abroad

Written materials pre-departure

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Biological Research

Conservation

Eco-tourism

Environment

Marine Conservation

Wildlife

This Program is open to

Worldwide, Kiwi, South African, Asian, Australian, Canadian, European and American Participants.